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big pharma profits

Anti-vaccine activists support Big Pharma profits — my irony meter dies

I have written about this topic before — the anti-vaccine movement is secretly helping Big Pharma profits. Why? Because Big Pharma makes a lot more money from people spending time in the hospital than they will ever make from vaccines. If Big Pharma executives were as evil as anti-vaxxers claim, they’d actually get rid of vaccines and let the profits roll into their coffers.

The anti-vaccine conspiracy theories about Big Pharma profits are amusing — Pfizer would much rather have a blockbuster drug like Viagra rather than a vaccine. The real conspiracy is how anti-vaxxers are giving much larger profits to Big Pharma, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So I’m taking my general calculations for Big Pharma profits and applying them to the pandemic. Spoiler alert — Big Pharm is benefitting greatly from every single person who refuses the vaccine and ends up in the hospital. Let’s take a look.

Read More »Anti-vaccine activists support Big Pharma profits — my irony meter dies
COVID-19 vaccine eua

COVID-19 vaccine EUA is unrelated to hydroxychloroquine

This article about how “cures” should prevent a COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization (EUA) was written by Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, Professor of Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law (San Francisco, CA), who is a frequent contributor to this and many other blogs, providing in-depth, and intellectually stimulating, articles about vaccines, medical issues, social policy, and the law.

Professor Reiss writes extensively in law journals about the social and legal policies of vaccination. Additionally, Reiss is also a member of the Parent Advisory Board of Voices for Vaccines, a parent-led organization that supports and advocates for on-time vaccination and the reduction of vaccine-preventable disease. She is also a member of the Vaccines Working Group on Ethics and Policy.

I have seen this myth around but haven’t had a chance to respond to it, so I will do it quickly here. No, there is no conspiracy to hide the benefits of things like hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and vitamin D, and no, if they were shown effective, it would not prevent a COVID-19 vaccine EUA.

Read More »COVID-19 vaccine EUA is unrelated to hydroxychloroquine

FDA approved remdesivir

FDA approved remdesivir for coronavirus – what this means for a vaccine

On 22 October 2020, the FDA approved remdesivir from Gilead Sciences to treat COVID-19. Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral that has shown some effect in treating the novel coronavirus.

However, does this mean that the FDA approval of the drug is supported by good science? As I’ve written previously regarding rushed approvals of a potential COVID-19 vaccine, we should be concerned that the FDA has become politicized to approve COVID-19 drugs to make Donald Trump look good.

I think there’s evidence that the FDA-approved remdesivir was rushed and that the evidence supporting its use in COVID-19 treatment may be vastly overstated.Read More »FDA approved remdesivir for coronavirus – what this means for a vaccine

coronavirus treatments

Evaluating coronavirus treatments like remdesivir – only science matters

The ever-evolving world of fake coronavirus treatments, like Donald Trump’s push for hydroxychloroquine, has made it difficult for many people, even those who are well-informed about pharmaceutical research, to see when potential coronavirus treatments are overhyped.

Like my critique of the over-optimistic timelines for vaccines, we need to also carefully examine information about coronavirus treatments, especially antiviral drugs that are currently being rushed through development. 

For example, the antiviral, remdesivir from Gilead Sciences has been in clinical trials as a treatment (I think using the word “cure” might be an overstatement at this time) and has shown good results. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has expressed valid skepticism of every claim from Trump about COVID-19 treatments, has stated that the results are “very optimistic.” In fact, the FDA may authorize the emergency use of remdesivir as a coronavirus treatment.

Let’s take a look at how we should evaluate various coronavirus treatments, using remdesivir as a model.Read More »Evaluating coronavirus treatments like remdesivir – only science matters